OFFICIAL TONY AWARDS ELIGIBILITY 2025-26

[quizking101]

Posted: 11/20/25 at 4:44pm

Part 1: https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Tony-Awards-Administration-Committee-Meets-to-Determine-Eligibility-for-25-26-Season-20251120

Christine Sherrill will be considered eligible in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical category for their role in Mamma Mia!.

Andrew Bruce and Bobby Aitken will be considered eligible in the Best Sound Design of a Musical category for their work on  Mamma Mia!. (**Andrew Bruce and Bobby Aitken eligible in the Best Sound Design of a Musical category for Mamma Mia! because the Tonys had not yet established a category honoring sound design for the original 2002 production)

Will Harrison will be considered eligible in the Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play category for their role in Punch. 

Leanne Pinder (Movement Director) will be considered eligible in the Best Choreography category for their work on Punch.

Caissie Levy, Brandon Uranowitz, and Joshua Henry will be considered eligible in the Best Performance by an Actress/Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical category for their respective roles in Ragtime.

Adam Honoré & Donald Holder (Lighting Design) and 59 Studio (Projection Design) will be considered jointly eligible in the Best Lighting Design of a Musical category for their work on Ragtime.

Susannah Flood will be considered eligible in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play category for their role in Liberation. 

Updated On: 11/20/25 at 04:44 PM

[quizking101]

Posted: 11/20/25 at 4:51pm

I don’t think there are any major surprises here, although I’m still a bit shocked that Mamma Mia invited Tony voters, although I think it’s more in respect of their leading lady’s Broadway debut and the possibility she may end up nominated in an otherwise empty field.

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 11/20/25 at 4:52pm

Interesting, Henry is going up against Uranowitz. 

Guess that means Andre de Shields can waltz to his second Tony. 

[TexanAddams18]

Posted: 11/20/25 at 4:55pm

EDSOSLO858 said: "Interesting, Henry is going up against Uranowitz.

Guess that means Andre de Shields can waltz to his second Tony."

Surely Deuteronomy is featured. He doesn't even show up till the last song of act 1.

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 11/20/25 at 4:57pm

TexanAddams18 said: "EDSOSLO858 said: "Interesting, Henry is going up against Uranowitz.

Guess that means Andre de Shields can waltz to his second Tony."

Surely Deuteronomy is featured. He doesn't even show up till the last song of act 1."

I was thinking that Uranowitz might be petitioned for the featured actor category, as he probably would've given de Shields a very good fight.

Updated On: 11/20/25 at 04:57 PM

[quizking101]

Posted: 11/20/25 at 4:58pm

TexanAddams18 said: "EDSOSLO858 said: "Interesting, Henry is going up against Uranowitz.

Guess that means Andre de Shields can waltz to his second Tony."

Surely Deuteronomy is featured. He doesn't even show up till the last song of act 1."

I think that’s the inference - Because Uranowitz wasn’t petitioned to Featured, short of another bombshell performance entering that category, Andre de Shields is currently the front runner for Featured Actor/Musical.

Pitting Henry and Uranowitz against each other also increases Nicholas Christopher’s Tony chances for CHESS

[jagman106]

Posted: 11/20/25 at 4:59pm

EDSOSLO858 said: "Interesting, Henry is going up against Uranowitz.

Guess that means Andre de Shields can waltz to his second Tony."

Unsurprising as Stokes and Friedman were both nominated for best actor in a musical for the original production. 

[JMH27]

Posted: 11/20/25 at 7:24pm

So unless we get more musical announcements, we are probably only looking at 4 nominees for Best Leading Actress in a Musical at the Tonys, right?

[TexanAddams18]

Posted: 11/20/25 at 7:34pm

quizking101 said: "TexanAddams18 said: "EDSOSLO858 said: "Interesting, Henry is going up against Uranowitz.

Guess that means Andre de Shields can waltz to his second Tony."

Surely Deuteronomy is featured. He doesn't even show up till the last song of act 1."

I think that’s the inference - Because Uranowitz wasn’t petitioned to Featured, short of another bombshell performance entering that category, Andre de Shields is currently the front runner for Featured Actor/Musical.

Pitting Henry and Uranowitz against each other also increases Nicholas Christopher’s Tony chances for CHESS"

Ah that makes wayyy more sense. I thought OP was saying Henry/Brandon would split the votes making way for shields. 

[quizking101]

Posted: 11/20/25 at 7:49pm

JMH27 said: "So unless we get more musical announcements, we are probably only looking at 4 nominees for Best Leading Actress in a Musical at the Tonys, right?"

It seems so. Right now, we only have Sherrill, Chenoweth, Michele, Levy, Pitts, Sara Chase, and whoever is slated for Lost Boys - you would need at least 2 more to meet the threshold for 5 nominees.

For men, the field looks similar - Tveit, Christopher, Henry, Uranowitz, Tutty, Brightman, Evans, and whatever “Lost Boy” gets a nod

Updated On: 11/20/25 at 07:49 PM

[malcs98]

Posted: 11/21/25 at 1:21am

quizking101 said: "JMH27 said: "So unless we get more musical announcements, we are probably only looking at 4 nominees for Best Leading Actress in a Musical at the Tonys, right?"

It seems so. Right now, we only have Sherrill, Chenoweth, Michele, Levy, Pitts,Sara Chase, and whoever is slated for Lost Boys - you would need at least 2 more to meet the threshold for 5 nominees.

For men, the field looks similar - Tveit, Christopher, Henry, Uranowitz, Tutty, Brightman, Evans, and whatever “Lost Boy” gets a nod"

Call me crazy even we don't have the eligibility status for Chess yet I wouldn't be surprised if Michele and Tveit would be considered for Featured and Christopher is leading...

[GirlFromOz68]

Posted: 11/21/25 at 3:27am

malcs98 said: "quizking101 said: "JMH27 said: "So unless we get more musical announcements, we are probably only looking at 4 nominees for Best Leading Actress in a Musical at the Tonys, right?"

It seems so. Right now, we only have Sherrill, Chenoweth, Michele, Levy, Pitts,Sara Chase, and whoever is slated for Lost Boys - you would need at least 2 more to meet the threshold for 5 nominees.

For men, the field looks similar - Tveit, Christopher, Henry, Uranowitz, Tutty, Brightman, Evans, and whatever “Lost Boy” gets a nod"

Call me crazy even we don't have the eligibility status for Chess yet I wouldn't be surprised if Michele and Tveit would be considered for Featured and Christopheris leading..."

Judy Kuhn was nominated as leading actress for Chess as Florence in 1988 why would that change now?

Updated On: 11/21/25 at 03:27 AM

[quizking101]

Posted: 11/21/25 at 5:42am

malcs98 said: "Call me crazy even we don't have the eligibility status for Chess yet I wouldn't be surprised if Michele and Tveit would be considered for Featured and Christopheris leading..."

Okay, you’re crazy.

Eligibility rulings are more or less meant to highlight any deviations from opening night credits that were petitioned by producers. Aaron, Lea, and Nick are all above the title per opening night credits and therefore are all considered leads.

Precedent aside, it would be absolutely bonkers considering CHESS has strong featured work from Bradley Dean, Bryce Pinkham, and Hannah Cruz.

[Broadway61004]

Posted: 11/21/25 at 7:47am

GirlFromOz68 said: "Judy Kuhn was nominated as leading actress for Chess as Florence in 1988 why would that change now?"

I agree Michele will be leading, but worth noting that in 1988 they were far less likely to deviate from opening night billing, so Kuhn being leading then doesn’t really affect what they'd say now.

I'm also guessing whoever plays Janet in Rocky will end up being considered leading, so that brings us 1 shy of the requirement for 5 nominees. Probably one other show sneaks in before the end of the season, so I'm guessing we'll end up with barely enough for the 5.

[broadwayfan_7214]

Posted: 11/21/25 at 8:29am

Hey everyone! I’ve been working on something I figured other theatre nerds might love, a Tony Awards tracker that updates throughout the season with all the major races, frontrunners, dark horses, surprise contenders, and category breakdowns.

It’s designed to be super easy to follow, and it updates as new shows open, reviews drop, and buzz shifts. Here is the link: tony-tracker.com

Thank you so much!

[Dreamboy3]

Posted: 11/22/25 at 7:49am

GirlFromOz68 said: 

Judy Kuhn was nominated as leading actress for Chess as Florence in 1988 why would that change now?"

categories do change:  For example, McKechnie was petitioned for, and received, a best actress nomination for ACL whereas Charlotte D’Amboise was nominated in featured. 

[Dreamboy3]

Posted: 11/22/25 at 7:56am

quizking101 said: 

Pitting Henry and Uranowitz against each other also increases Nicholas Christopher’s Tony chances for CHESS"

Perhaps.  But as good as Uranowitz is as Tateh— and he’s excellent - the show belongs to coalhouse and Henry is stunning so I wouldn’t expect Uranowitz to pull many votes (and he already has a Tony).  Meanwhile, Henry has  been turning in great performances for years and so given that Ragtime was much better received it’s hard for me to imagine Henry losing. 

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 11/22/25 at 8:01am

IMO, Henry was the better vocalist and Uranowitz gave a better performance. Those I spoke to agreed. I think Henry would still win because he’s been at it a while and hasn’t gotten awards love, so people feel like it’s his time, but he’s not necessarily the best one on that stage.

[Ball of Buttah]

Posted: 11/22/25 at 8:25am

DramaTeach said: "IMO, Henry was the better vocalist and Uranowitz gave a better performance. Those I spoke to agreed. I think Henry would still win because he’s been at it a while and hasn’t gottenawardslove, so people feel like it’s his time, but he’s not necessarily the best one on that stage."

I feel the same way. And, I feel the same way about Tviet (better all around performance) and Christopher (better vocals). 🧐

[GirlFromOz68]

Posted: 11/22/25 at 8:30am

Dreamboy3 said: "GirlFromOz68 said:

Judy Kuhn was nominated as leading actress for Chess as Florence in 1988 why would that change now?"

categories do change: For example, McKechnie was petitioned for, and received, a best actress nomination for ACL whereas Charlotte D’Amboise was nominated in featured."

well I really dont think it will change in this case. Florence is not a featured role.

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 11/22/25 at 8:48am

Dreamboy3 said: "quizking101 said:

Pitting Henry and Uranowitz against each other also increases Nicholas Christopher’s Tony chances for CHESS"

Perhaps. But as good as Uranowitz is as Tateh— and he’s excellent - the show belongs to Coalhouse and Henry is stunning so I wouldn’t expect Uranowitz to pull many votes (and he already has a Tony). Meanwhile, Henry has been turning in great performances for years and so given that Ragtime was much better received it’s hard for me to imagine Henry losing."

Plus, many do feel that Stokes likely could've won for Coalhouse in the original production up against his co-star, Friedman, if Alan Cumming in Cabaret wasn't there.

[lastmidnights]

Posted: 11/24/25 at 6:44pm

I agree that Henry is the favorite for Leading Actor Musical.

Who do we think is the favorite for Leading Actress Musical? I would vote Levy right now, but I've always loved her performance as Mother. I know some people didn't like it at NYCC, but I don't know what the consensus around her is now

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 11/24/25 at 6:47pm

lastmidnights said: "I agree that Henry is the favorite for Leading Actor Musical.

Who do we think is the favorite for Leading Actress Musical? I would vote Levy right now, but I've always loved her performance as Mother. I know some people didn't like it at NYCC, but I don't know what the consensus around her is now"

 

Agreed on both.

[goodtimes123]

Posted: 11/24/25 at 6:57pm

TotallyEffed said: "lastmidnights said: "I agree that Henry is the favorite for Leading Actor Musical.

Who do we think is the favorite for Leading Actress Musical? I would vote Levy right now, but I've always loved her performance as Mother. I know some people didn't like it at NYCC, but I don't know what the consensus around her is now"



Agreed on both."

Joshua Henry rightfully is getting the praise he deserves, but I do think Caissie is on his level. I  would love to see Caissie get her first nomination and a win after churning out years of consistently good work and who only gets better in each role she's in. 

[quizking101]

Posted: 2/19/26 at 6:40pm

New Rulings:

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Tony-Awards-Committee-Meets-For-Second-Time-To-Determine-Eligibility-For-25-26-Season-20260219

MARJORIE PRIME, OEDIPUS, and BUG are all revivals, with all authors considered eligible for the award.

Everyone in MARJORIE PRIME will be considered Featured (pitting Squibb and Nixon against each other).

CHESS considered for additional categories:

- Danny Strong (New Book) will be considered eligible in the Best Book of a Musical category for their work on Chess.

- David Rockwell (Scenic Designer) and Peter Nigrini(Video Designer) will be considered jointly eligible in the Best Scenic Design of a Musical category for their work on Chess.

- Brian Usifer will be considered eligible in the Best Orchestrations category for their work on Chess

 

Updated On: 2/19/26 at 06:40 PM